China Romance
General Discussion and Useful Links => Ask An Experienced Member => Topic started by: maxx on August 06, 2009, 02:03:34 am
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Nik I was going to post what your wife told my wife the other day.About the cell phone.I thought it was a great Idea.But I didn't feel right about posting it because it wasn't my idea.
For thoose of you that don't know Nik has a Chinese cell phone.He sends tex's to his wife.Everytime Nik's wife recieves a tex she writes the tex down in English in a notebook.
It helps Nik's wife improve her English.And It also can be taken to the interview as proof of a on going relationship.
I thought this was such a great Idea.That I was madd I didn't think of this.So I thought it would be a good idea to post this.If Nik wants to if he doesn't and i can get his permission to post it.I will post it.
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My lady doesn't have text on her phone. But I get the phone bill which has the calls to China saved with "Calls to China" on the bill statement as proof of the hours on the phone. Any communication I have it saved for when needed.
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No text on the phone? I thought all phones in China had texting? I actually use AllTel as their unlimited text plans include international texting! If you switch companies to get this great unlimited international texting plan, be sure to give me as a referral! :-D
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She tried explaining it to me and I understood it as this... She has a cell phone but it is tied to the home type phone line. In other words it's like a cordless phone that works like a cell phone. They will be deleting this service (which I guess is cheaper) sometime early next year so she will get a regular cell service and I guess with text? but she doesn't use it anyway? She's not very electronic knowledgeable. Computer means internet? website is an unknown word. She knows of texting but doesn't. Forget about trying to explain burning a DVD or CD? not even going there. I just sent a letter asking if I sent her a computer would she be able to get the internet and use it? What good is sending one if she can't turn it on? Oh yeah, when I said if she can use QQ (her sisters computer) is asked "what's this QQ?"
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Wow Vince, you must have one of the only girls in China who does not know what QQing is. Every person I met in China wanted to exchange QQ numbers, and even my wife's grandparents have phones that they text on. But maybe that is a good thing. Chinese girls will often answer their mobile pones at inopportune times unless you make them turn it off. There is no concept of voice mail there as most of China jumped past the land line era and went straight to mobile phones.
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Mike, My Zhou didn't like texting, she liked talking on the phone better, still does Haha, and if your lady can cook like my Zhou does then you will never want to leave the table, I can only hope she can cook well for your sake and don't forget to keep an eye on those shirt sizes LOL, I know, its not easy brother to stop eating after only one.
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Vince,
same story with my lady, no clue how to use a computer, same kind of cell-phone with no text. I am also thinking she does not have a camera, or a way to take and send pictures. I did get pictures one time, she had to ask someone at the agency to take it, and attach it to the next letter.
Mike same thing. Well she knows (learning) how to get online, etc. Her sister has a computer (this is how she got an email address) but she doesn't want to go to her sister just to use the computer. I can understand that. She said she bought a second hand camera but hasn't taken any pictures yet (3-4 months). She won't ask for help cause I have told her to give me the info so I can instruct her (digital camera). So the pictures she has sent were taken at the agency and sent with the EMF's. Not good photos, lighting is bad etc.
As fir IM's I have had Yahoo, MSN, AIM (Mac iChat) for years. I downloaded QQ thinking she can use it? Hell everyone uses it in China? Mmmm found the one that doesn't? I only go to chat when I have to anyway. I never have it on unless.
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Funny that many Chinese people use it, but do not own computers. Most Chinese go to an Internet Cafe. They are everywhere, even in some tiny villages!
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Nik,
As I've said elsewhere, some of the Internet cafe's in China would put our western Internet cafes to shame. You would have to visit a good one to see just how advanced they are. Most of the better one's have private closed cubicles for dedicated webcam use. Virtually every type of IM is also preloaded on to the server..... Hell, they got more gear than I've got, ....or my computer whizzkid mate!!
But the main thing is , they are very well Run and organised, women feel very safe in those better Internet cafe establishments.....
David....
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Oh GOD !!!! that damn cell phone !!!! I want to break my wife's cell phone,,the darn thing is practically glued to her ear !!! she will answer regardless of what we are doing, well almost (use your imagination) lol. :dodgy: it is an obsession with her and most other Chinese women. That is one battle I will always loose. Well I just have to learn to live with it I guess. But do not be surprised if one day the cell "accidentally" doesn't work anymore,, :icon_cheesygrin:
sorry, I went a little off topic. temporally moment of insanity just from thinking about that cell phone.
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We married guys all know what you are speaking of, but at those times, you just tell her to turn it off. Otherwise, yes, she WILL answer it!
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I am thinking of getting one of this global phones while I am in China. Anyone used this service before?
http://www.mobal.com/worldphone/
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I use this: It makes all international calls into a local call for both you and the person you are calling: RebTel Cheap or Free International Calling (https://www.rebtel.com/en/Utility-Pages/Join-flow/Join/?uid=0104970961)
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Nik do you have to set up the number each time you call? or is it a service you have that same number all the time?
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my girl is computer savvy, but didnt have one at home so i bought her one, best investment ever,sends me photos & we use yahoo mess.
about net cafe, she didnt know of one or if they were safe for ladies......
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It is the same number forever. I have numbers for my wife, her mom, her sister, her friend in GuangZhou, etc. When you call them, it assigns a number for you too so that they can call you cheaply. It is a collect call where you pay the $0.019 and they get to call you for free. I highly recommend this service. I use it 3-4 times a week to call my wife and used it 2 times a day in the 2 weeks before her interview to make sure she was completely prepared.
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Feisnik,
Are you saying that the RebTel service not only allows you to call your lady in China, but allows her to call you collect and she does not pay anything, but you still only pay 1.9 cents per minute? (As my lady often says...REALLY???)
Scott
Yes. She calls this number and it is a collect call to you where you pay the 1.9 cents and she just pays for a local call (if there is any charge for this on her plan).
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Hi all,
I've been on chnlove a couple of weeks and have found someone I'm very interested in :angel:.
However, she admits her English is not good (and I suspect many of the girls on the site are in a similar situation).
To the experienced members I'd like to ask how long it took for them to teach their girls English? Have you send your girl on English courses or taught her yourself?
While I think we could get by in Mandrish for a while, here in England we now have citizenship tests for immigrants so if I brought back a girl she would have to learn the language within a couple of years or risk being deported :huh:.
As to the citizenship test, what a farce, despite being born here I got 42% and you need 75% to pass! :icon_biggrin:
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The test is not your problem Brett. Its taking the poor girl back to Colchester that is. Sorry mate just a joke and I had better not tell you what my sister does for a living in Colchester.
Seriously though my girl has very little English the first time I mewt her I think her limit was 1 -10 which she proudly spoke many times that afternoon. We both have Besta translators but words and actions work well. She is now learning English and she has three 2 hour English classes a week. But we have no intentions of moving back to UK she just has little faith in me becoming profficient in her language she thought that she had better take mine more serious.
I have also devised her an MP3 that she can listen to on the way to work. Full of good phrases spoken clearly. Every evening that she does not have classes we spend an hour or so going through many pages of english phrases and I explain that the easy way of remembering some of the more widely used words.
I intend to put the MP3's on my website one day wityh the words so all can share them.
She will have more than two years for the citizenship test. She cannot apply until she has been in UK for three years so that extra year will make a difference
Willy
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Ha! No problems with Colchester, we have great language teaching facilities at the Uni! We're also getting a Waitrose next month so things are looking up innit :icon_cheesygrin:.
It's also near London so buying Chinese goods is dead easy.
If the global jobs market was better I'd be tempted to move to Asia, as I work in IT so could potentially work anywhere. I'd guess I could teach programming to Chinese students, that could be quite a lucrative sideline.
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Would you be teaching them in Chinese or English as every computer here except mine is in Chinese. Before I had broadband fitted a friend loaned me her office but although I could get into my sites I was unable to do any work on them at all.
What I have found is that although a great number of computers aread in China they are not cheap here. I was round the computer are of Zhuhai yesterday and they are selling laptops at the equivalent opf £600 - £700.
But there are hundreds of repairers in the same area.
Colchester is not a bad place my sister keeps the traffic flowing there!!! (So she says but she has always been that way inclined.)
From where I lived in London I was going to China Town in Soho every week and it is getting more touristy every year but it would make a nice change for her.
Willy
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My wife has been taking english classes for several months and although she can read very well, she doesnt know what the words mean. I know I've heard of some ladies self teaching english but I think there's much value in enrolling in a formal english class.
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Your spot on Ed
That is the problem - many know the words to look at them because they learn from many written methods - usually books. But they do not know how the words sound in most cases. And the meanings pass them by.
But when it comes to hear the words they are stuck. I have meet a girl here who has enough English words thst she can read that would fill a dictionary and she works as a document translator. I thought that I would have some good convewrsations with her but she does not speak more than a couple of dozen of those words!!
She is one of many that is wanting me to teach her English.
Willy
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Willy, This is where my lady came up with english lessons on the phone. She studies the english words and spelling on her own. I call on Saturday and most of the phone call is her listening to how I say the same sentence. She says a sentence and I say it back to her so she hears how it sounds.
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I've enrolled on a Mandarin course and I will find an English course for my lady, so we'll meet halfway hopefully!
If we had kids I don't know what language they would end up speaking, especially if they went to the nursery in work which has kids from just about every corner of the globe :icon_biggrin:.
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I've enrolled on a Mandarin course and I will find an English course for my lady, so we'll meet halfway hopefully!
If we had kids I don't know what language they would end up speaking, especially if they went to the nursery in work which has kids from just about every corner of the globe :icon_biggrin:.
I did the same thing Brett. I was fortunate enough to have a Chinese language school right our the corner from where I live. It's every saturday from Sept till May so, like you, I'll be trying to meet her half way. But honestly it's more about one day being able to properly greet my new parents and get to know them better as well as they get to know me, and of course the rest of the family.